The Little Things
by Anonymous Starbucks Lover
Summary: [Vignettes of] Those random, happy (and little) moments in every couple's relationship makes the effort of trying worth it... They make your heart swell with love and beat a little faster. And it was the little things for Sasuke and Amarante that made their relationship so great... Ch. 01: Laughter and Happiness (Drabbles/One-Shot Series.) SasuOC. Review please! :)


**Disclaimer:** Naruto and its entirety belong to Masashi Kishimoto. All rights reserved to Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Pierrot and Aniplex. This is solely a not-for-profit fan activity, and in no way intends to infringe on copyrights held by Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Pierrot, Aniplex, Shōnen Jump, or Viz Media (or any other people/companies involved with the manga/anime Naruto).

**Note:** OOC. AU.

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**The Little Things**

**_By _****Anonymous Starbucks Lover**

**Summary:** Those random, happy moments in every couple's relationship makes the effort of trying worth it. But it was the little things that made their relationship so special, and so great. Be it a glance, a touch, or a kiss, it was all the little things…

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**xXx**

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**Laughter and Happiness**

**1. Just Laugh and Be Happy: **_**Her laughter was his laughter and her happiness was his.**_

It was actually kind of cute. Adorable was an even better word for it, though he'd never admit that thought out loud. If he ever did, he'd never hear the end of harassment and teasing from the people he called his "friends"- with the inclusion of his older brother and cousin. _(Because even in his own silent way, Itachi always found ways to tease him about something; Shisui just loved to bother him for the hell of it, claiming it was fun.)_

But maybe a bit of teasing and joking at his expense was the small price to pay for such a small pleasure. It was more than a small pleasure, though; it was something that made his "cold" heart flutter- another thing he'd never admit aloud for the sake of his image, reputation, and all things alike- and brought a small smile to his face.

He loved how effortless and real it was; how down-to-earth and whole it was, **she** was. You could tell a thing or two about a person from the way they laughed and carried themselves and from what he could tell, she was perfect. A happy, upbeat, and cheerful person. That's what she was. A somewhat modest teen in the fact that she wasn't materialistic or flashy. A young woman with a future full of good fortunes and accomplishments. A girl with nothing to hide or be afraid of, unlike him- completely opposite of him, actually.

He was the person who was always silent and never did anything to draw attention to himself. He didn't go about making friends with anybody and everybody; on the contrary, he kept to himself and avoided people at all costs, as if they had some sort of plague. _(Though it didn't keep certain people –cough, cough, Naruto and Ino- away.)_ He was usually always seen scowling or glaring at people- especially those who dared to approach him.

In fact, Sasuke was almost 100 percent sure that besides their dark and exotic (and attractive) physical features –along with their immaculate grades and superb athleticism- that they had nothing in common. He wasn't all smiles and laughs like she was; he wasn't at all charismatic and sociable like her either. This was part of the reason the onyx-color-eyed, chicken-ass-style-haired man was so confused. The dark-haired Uchiha was puzzled as to why he was so enraptured by her. Why did he find her so appealing? There wasn't some type of enigmatic characteristic to her that made him want to figure her out; she wore her heart on her sleeve. She was an open book- that easily readable.

He had been so adamant about it before, swearing to stay away from people like her. _(She was the type of person Sasuke avoided all the time anyways.)__ So, what was it?_

Sasuke knew that everyone was drawn to her like moths to light, however, he had never been… but lately he had started doubting himself. Maybe she had been slowly luring him in and he just didn't notice. But it was too late because now he was like the others, captivated by everything about her…

Snapping him from his musings was that lovely, melodic laughter of hers. Looking up from his lunch, Sasuke watched as she threw her head back and let her happiness show to the world. He watched as the blond idiot leaned closer to the dark-haired beauty at his side and put a hand in front of his mouth to "whisper" something to her, blocking their blonde companion's view of what he was saying. Naruto spoke to Amarante in what he called hushed tones while looking at Ino across the table, letting the buxom blonde know that he was talking about her. Amarante covered her mouth as her giggles began softly, but failed as her mirth overrode her attempts and she let out another laugh. Sasuke felt a smiling tugging at the corners of his lips as he watched her, he felt himself yearning to laugh alongside her. It made him… almost happy in a sense to see her so happy.

The prodigious Uchiha's feelings for his peer grew each day. And they grew to the point where her laughter was his laughter and her happiness was his. Where his day would be awful if hers was. Where he'd be in an especially bad mood when he could tell something was wrong with her. _(Particularly when she wasn't smiling or laughing or being all around cheerful.)_ It was an unconditional type of feeling he was feeling, but Sasuke didn't want to go as far as to say that he loved her, because with the goals he had in life, there was no time for silly things like love.

With a rather irritated sigh, the tall and handsome junior began packing up his stuff, deciding to head to the roof, green house, or maybe the library for his free period. Looking back up as he stood up, he watched as the girl of his thoughts rested against his classmate's side. _(Okay, Naruto was more like a best friend or brother to Sasuke, but that was just one of the many things Sasuke liked to deny for pretenses.) _

He had long ago resigned to the fact that that'd never be them. They'd never share laughs together or use each other as furniture just because they could. They'd probably never get passed just working together in AP Calculus or Physiology. There would never be a chance for them or even a chance **of** them.

Only because there were so many things stacked up against them. The odds weren't in their favor and ultimately they just wouldn't work out with so many differences.

For starters, Amarante Hatake was too perfect, and too good for him. He was the resident "bad boy" of Konoha High. In lieu of him, it was only natural that she would want Naruto. Naruto was a goody goody, albeit mischievous, two-shoes. _(That and she also had knowledge of Naruto's existence.)_ And Naruto, compared to him, was a thousand times more sociable, like herself. He was just a wallflower, which he preferred to be. Why would she even go for someone whose personal vocabulary probably consisted of, at max, twenty words total? _(He didn't carry conversations all too much, so about twenty words were all Sasuke needed, give or take a few.)_ The list went on and on though: she was too innocent and pure, and even looked (adorably) a bit naïve, whereas he was a screw up and he'd probably end up tainting and ruining her, making her just like him.

They'd essentially be nothing… and just the thought made his heart clench painfully in chest.

It hurt to know that there wasn't a possibility of them being more than just a mere notion. More than just a fantasy in his mind. Of becoming a reality…

Blinking, Sasuke quickly became aware of the fact that he was staring right into those lovely turquoise eyes he loved to look at: Amarante's eyes. The two stared at each other for a moment before she smiled and sat up, stretching a bit. As she began to stand, the one and only Naruto Uzumaki tugged her back down, breaking their eye contact.

_Damn._

Huffing again in frustration at himself for letting his thoughts run rampant **and** getting his hopes high, Sasuke left the cafeteria and stalked towards the garden on the roof.

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**xXx**

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Leaning into Naruto's side, pushing him a bit, Amarante sighed as her giggles subsided and she scanned the cafeteria's patio.

Her green-blue –though Naruto and Sakura loved to argue on whether they were really turquoise or a beautiful shade of grey- eyes landed on her good friends Tenten and Neji, who appeared to be in a heated debated of some sort, Neji looking quite frustrated and Tenten looking awfully smug. It was just their way of flirting but she couldn't help but shake her head a bit. _(Maybe Ino could set something up for the two so that they'd finally get together, or maybe she'd just have Sakura beat some sense into Neji's head.)_ Speaking of the emerald-eyed pinkette herself, Amarante's curiosity peaked and she moved on past the arguing brunettes, searching their lunch room for a head of cotton-candy like hair. Almost passing her, Amarante found the girl she sought and more of her friends hunched over textbooks for a class of some sort. And if the way Sakura looked like she was going to start screaming, Hinata was going to pass out, and Kiba was going to shoot himself at any moment was any indication, it was probably their Pre-Calculus work. She watched as Lee and Sai waltzed up to the trio, and interrupted their oh-so-hard studying. Chuckling a bit to herself, Amarante thought twice about going over to their table to save the boys from Sakura's wrath, but stayed in her seat as she declared it too late to do anything when the fiery Haruno stood and promptly hit Sai over the head with her textbook. _(Ouch.)_

Roving her eyes over all of her peers once more, the 17-year-old found that hers were not the only pair searching and staring. Amarante found herself staring right back into dark orbs. Dark, mysterious, beautiful, pools of onyx. They were none other than Sasuke Uchiha's eyes and though she'd only been able to speak to him on a few occasions, and stare into his eyes even less, she found that he had a gorgeous pair. She could lose herself in them…

Making a spilt-quick decision, Amarante smiled confidently and sat up, stretching. As she stood, her loud-mouthed best friend tugged her back into her seat.

"Where are you going, Amarante-chan?" Naruto asked with a naivety and child-like curiosity only he could pull off. He quickly blushed. "I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

She only smiled wider, showing off a set of impeccable and aligned white teeth. "I'm going to head to my free period a little bit earlier than usual today. I'll see you later tonight, okay? Remember we're going to the movies."

Naruto perked right back up and nodded, laughing goofily. "I wouldn't forget, believe it!"

Amarante giggled at his energy and enthusiasm, collecting her belongings.

She turned back around and saw that Sasuke was already walking out of the cafeteria… and turning right.

"Bye guys!"

"See ya' later, Rapunzel! Don't forget: we're meeting at my house at 7!" Ino yelled, not looking up from her newly-formed staring contest with Naruto. "And if you can't drive yourself, Shika and I will go get you."

Not looking back, Amarante called "Okay!" over her shoulder and continued determinedly in her pursuit of the Uchiha.

And caught up in her new task, Amarante didn't even register that her bestie had called her Rapunzel, again…

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**xXx**

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Sasuke sat on the ground and enjoyed the silence around him. There were no crazy pinkettes running around trying to castrate people with a book; there was no moaning and griping about an assignment due in two periods; there was no playful –albeit loud- arguments taking place; no idiots complaining about no more ramen; but, more importantly, there was no her.

Amarante wasn't there to cloud his thoughts and his vision. Her captivating eyes weren't staring back at him and her joyous laughter wasn't invading his ears. _(Though it sounded more like music to his ears than anything.)_

Resting his elbows on his knees, Sasuke tried to change topics, tried to think about something else, but Amarante always found her way back in… So instead of trying to fight it, instead of trying to fight her, he closed his eyes and laid back on the cement… and let her consume him. He let her laughter become his laughter and let her happiness become his and let a small smile creep up on his features.

He didn't know how much time passed, but it must have been a few hours later when he woke because the light disappear and was replaced by dark- possibly clouds, he surmised. Slowly opening his eyes, Sasuke came face-to-face with the visage he had just been dreaming of.

Her large and expressive eyes blinked and she quirked an eyebrow in interest. From this close, Sasuke could see the perfect Cupid's bow of her full lips, her cute button nose, and flawless face. Her long, thick hair –which had earned her the nickname, Rapunzel- was in its usual ponytail, but was tossed over her shoulder and still touching the ground.

And in a moment of child's curiosity, Sasuke wondered how soft it would be if he touched it…

"It's Sasuke, right? Sasuke Uchiha?"

He didn't care all too much for the way his heart fluttered when she said his name, but loved the way she said it nonetheless. It was heavenly, like an angel was speaking to him… And for a moment he was so caught up in hearing his angel speak to him, that he forgot that she had indeed spoken to him.

Amarante leaned back a little. Had he not heard her?

"Sasuke?"

And he jolted back to their world.

Clearing his throat, Sasuke tried to keep the blush crawling up his neck at bay. "Aa, that's me. Sasuke… Uchiha…"

And he cursed himself from Konoha to the moon for sounding so stupid.

Amarante tried not to laugh but despite herself, let a snort out. Slapping a hand to her mouth, Amarante poorly muffled her laughter and Sasuke couldn't help but feel all the elation he felt from her actually acknowledging him coming crashing down, ruining his moment.

Glaring at her, Sasuke sat up and grabbed his backpack, standing. "Yeah, Sasuke Uchiha the Dumbass. See you around, Amarante."

Walking away from her, Sasuke couldn't help but feel embarrassed and embarrassing himself wasn't something he did. Feeling embarrassed wasn't something he felt at all, but now he felt as if he had made a total fool of himself in front of the girl he liked… and she was mocking him for it. Found it amusing even.

_'Stupid, stupid, stupid.'_

"Hey, wait!" Amarante called and rushed after him. Catching him right at the door, Amarante placed a gentle hand on his bicep and tugged a bit. "Sasuke, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed. I just thought it was kind of cute, that's all."

Sasuke's eyes grew double in size at her words. Cute? She… she thought it was cute? Amarante Hatake, hottest and smartest and the most down-to-earth girl he had ever met had just told him, Sasuke Uchiha, that he was cute! Well, his stuttering at least. But, hey! It still counted.

"No! Um, I didn't mean it like that. Yes, it was cute. I mean, no-" Amarante struggled with an excuse, cutely blushing for an excuse. Sasuke just watched with an amused expression, his lips twitching. "I meant that it was rude for me to laugh and that- hey, wait!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"You were saying?" he asked with a bemused smirk on his beautiful face.

Maybe this was his chance to establish some sort of connection they could grow upon. He could take advantage of this moment. But what could he do? Flirt? Isn't that what most teens his age did when they liked someone? _(He wouldn't know because she's the only person he's ever liked.)_ Flirt. Playful flirting, maybe a bit of teasing? Yeah, yeah, that's what he'd do, flirt.

So shrugging, he said, "Well, it wasn't much of an apology to begin with but you can continue-"

"You called me Amarante," she cut him off, staring right into his eyes.

"That's your name," Sasuke stated factually. _(Oh Kami, what if she was a ditz?)_

"Well, obviously," she rolled her eyes. "I meant- you always call me by my surname in our classes. You've never called me by my first name before."

And there was that blasted blush again, threatening to take over his usually almost-pale skin tone. _(What a damn mistake to make, Sasuke.)_

Amarante smiled, her smile growing from a tiny turn-up of the lips into a full and blinding smile, as she watched him turn an adorable hue of red- the rose dusting his cheeks as he stammered for the second time in front of her.

"Looks like the tables have turned, huh? I wonder what Naruto will think when he hears that you've called someone other than Sakura by their given name," she teased and cocked her head to the side, smile still in place and making his heart race and the butterflies in his stomach fly. _(When did he get those?)_

"No, they haven't. It was a mistake and you won't tell him," he hissed.

Amarante giggled a giggle that he'd have no problem hearing every day for the rest of his life and twirled away from him, spinning to her left and walking through one of the rows in the garden.

Turning back to him, she dropped her bag and held up a seemingly innocent device- her iPhone.

"What guarantees I won't tell him? You know if he finds out, he'll tell everyone and everyone knows we don't talk, so the only viable explanation is that you're not as aloof or low as we think. And of course, since he is Naruto, it'll be ten times worse than what I just said and everyone will believe it. Maybe I'll tell Ino, too," Amarante said as she backed up deeper into the garden, waving her phone around with a grin on her face.

Sasuke felt his heart drop and along with it, felt his bag do the same thing. Removing his hand from the door handle leading to the stairs off the roof, Sasuke took a step towards Amarante.

Warningly he spoke, "Don't do something you'll regret."

"Regret? I don't regret anything," she promised.

"Am- Hatake, don't."

"Hm, let me think about that… No," she said and turned on her heel, sprinting into the labyrinth that the rooftop garden consisted of.

Sasuke chased her into the maze and tried to follow her throughout the complicated twists and turns the garden was comprised of. _(Had the garden always been this big?)_

The young Uchiha came to a four-way of sorts and scanned the garden in all directions for black-blue hair or khaki pants and a navy-blue cardigan. _(Was it weird that he remembered everything he saw with great detail?)_

"I'll make you a deal, Sasuke. If you can find me, and catch me, I won't send it. But if you can't before I leave the roof, then I get to tell them. Sound good?"

He had no choice…

"Fine!" Sasuke growled.

Stepping out of the middle of the intersection made by the rows of flowers and vegetable plants, Sasuke looked down under the rows for her feet… and found nothing to his left. Checking the row to his right, Sasuke repeated the same thing… and found her mirroring his actions- looking for him as well. She squealed while Sasuke smirked, running towards the right and to the roses and tulips.

Turning the corner, Sasuke watched her long hair flow behind her as she ran down the aisle, away from him. Amarante began laughing as Sasuke started trailing her, getting close but never close enough to catch her. Her laugh was something to be enjoyed and brought a smile to other's faces, including his. He couldn't help but be happy with her and enjoy their little game of cat and mouse. Her dulcet laughter echoed throughout the garden, like the song of enchanting nymphs and Sasuke loved it.

It was too late and he knew it… He was falling in love with her… He didn't know when this had started, but Sasuke knew that he was falling for her and nothing could stop the descent…

Reaching his arm out, Sasuke took hold of her elbow and spun her around. She turned in his arms so that she was facing him and beamed radiantly at him. And Sasuke was so caught up in her smile that he lost his balance and he toppled to the ground, taking her with him.

Amarante squeaked and held onto him, crashing on her back, landing with a small 'oof'. Sasuke put his hands out so his weight wouldn't crush her and came inches from colliding with her face.

_'Smooth, Sasuke, really smooth. You're a real Casanova.' _He thought.

The petite teen beneath him was silent for a moment before a tiny giggle erupted from her, soon followed by full-blown laughter. _(She was always laughing and enjoying life.)_

"Well, that was fun," she sighed with a content smile. She looked completely comfortable with their position, but Sasuke could feel his heart pounding a thousand miles per minute. No, per second and he was pretty sure she could hear it.

"Sasuke?"

Said young man met her eyes and was taken aback at the intensity of the look she was giving him… He was almost positive that his own expression mirrored that of hers.

"Amarante…"

The smile on her face slowly faded and Amarante focused solely on him.

She focused her green-blue, turquoise, grey, or whatever-the-hell-colored eyes she had on him and him alone. They took in his strong, defined features, specifically his nose, bone structure, and jaw line. She lifted her hand and lightly traced his aristocratic features. His beautiful eyes and flawlessly groomed _(Were they groomed?)_ eyebrows. Soft-looking lips that belonged to his perfect-looking mouth.

"Sasuke…"

He didn't hear her, not a word she spoke. All Sasuke could do was stare at her lips and think about how kissable they looked- right there in front of him and in his reach. They were tempting him, challenging him and that was a challenge Sasuke would not back down from.

Leaning down at a rate slow enough for her to be able to turn her head or tell him stop, Sasuke was more than a bit surprised when Amarante closed her eyes and leaned up to meet him halfway. But it was incentive enough for him to close his right away.

It was the best kiss either had experienced, well it was the only kissed either had experienced and they were blissfully unaware that they had given their first kiss to basically a stranger. Her lips were just as full and indulgent as he had imagined and his were as soft as she thought they looked.

Amarante tentatively lifted a hand to his cheek, pulling him a bit closer to her; Sasuke angled his head to the right a bit more, never getting enough of her addictive lips, deepening the kiss. And when her other hand slid up to his neck, forgetting about the phone that had previously been in its occupation, Sasuke couldn't keep the smile from his face- ending his, **their**, perfect moment.

They broke apart and keeping her eyes closed, Amarante asked, "What's so funny?"

Resting his forehead against hers, Sasuke didn't respond, instead opting to lean in for another kiss and Amarante smiled into it, laughing a bit.

"If you wanted another kiss, all you had to do was ask…"

And they shared laughter and happiness together…

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**xXx**

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**Author's Note:** Sorry for the rushed end. I'll get to mistakes a little bit later tonight, if I have the time.

Thanks for reading and please leave a review! Leave suggestions on what could be better, requests as to what you'd like to read next, or just praise on what was good.

Next chapter will most likely be SasuOC and NaruHina, but if not it'll be a continual of this chapter!

Until the next update,

Anonymous


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